


Matched

by evak1isak



Series: SKAM Week [5]
Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys Kissing, Cheating, Fluff and Angst, M/M, SKAM Fic Week, Slut Shaming, mentions of abuse, mentions of gay sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evak1isak/pseuds/evak1isak
Summary: In Isak's Society, everything is chosen for you: your friends, your studies and even your life-long partner. Isak knows that he will be Matched with his best friend, Jonas. When reviewing the information about his Match, another boy appears: it's an outcast that goes to his school, his name is Even and he's about to change his life.*This work is based on Ally Condie's novel "Matched". Can be read without having read the novel**This work is part of this month's SKAM Week, with the theme "dystopian".*
Relationships: (mentioned) - Relationship, Eva Kviig Mohn/Vilde Lien Hellerud, Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen, Isak Valtersen/Jonas Noah Vasquez, Isak Valtersen/Original Male Character(s)
Series: SKAM Week [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830028
Comments: 15
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so I had this draft in my computer, which I began aaaaaaaages ago but never finished, and i thought that the SKAM Week was a great opportunity to finish it and post it, since the last day had the theme "dystopian".
> 
> I really liked this idea when I read Ally Condie's book so I decided to write about Isak and Even living here. Anyways, I hope you like it!

Isak’s life was perfect: he had good friends, a good family, he liked his hobbies and what he was studying at Second School; and of course he got good marks. He also liked the TV-shows he watched or the sports he practiced. He liked the city he lived in and he knew that he would like the degree he would study at university. Isak also liked his future work, even if he didn’t know what it was all about. Isak also liked his future lifelong partner.

Because everything had been chosen for him.

The government of the Society was in charge of that, so that its citizens wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Isak was told what he would study and where, which shops he liked and which he didn’t, he wore the same clothes than everyone else and he was assigned two friends, based on his personality. An algorithm found his two best friends: Eva and Jonas. It didn’t fail, they had been friends ever since they were kids, and they were about to turn seventeen.

And being seventeen was important in Isak’s society. The Matching would take place. He would be told whom he’ll marry and when. And that person would be perfect for him, his lifelong partner, because the Society was never wrong. Isak knew it would be Jonas; it had to be. They were meant for each other. Of course, they didn’t take it further, the Society was the one to decide who was Isak’s partner and when they’d start dating. And at the age of twenty-one they’d marry. Perhaps it was a boy he had never met who lived in a different city. That meant that he would have to move, and he’d be given the perfect house in the perfect neighbourhood for him.

Isak was now coming back from Second School. He was running late, he knew that, if not he’d be out during curfew and the Officials would see him. He had to take one of the flying trains which soared above the skyscrapers of the city. He couldn’t run. It was one of the rules of the Society in order to keep order: no running.

Isak felt anxious at arriving late, so he took one of his green pills from his backpack. He could only take one per week, more if the Officials didn’t see you, but he knew it was worth it. After swallowing it, he felt himself relax. You are given the green pills at the age of thirteen, but Isak hadn’t used them that much, only a few times. Again, his life was perfect, why would he? He rarely got anxious.

He got on the train and sat. Another rule of the Society was that there was no currency, and no trading either. Isak would be home soon. He needed to be there for his grandmother’s Final Banquet, the third most important Banquet in every citizen’s life. The first one, the Welcome Banquet, takes place one week after you are born. Isak had already done that. The next Banquet was the Match Banquet, which Isak was about to experience. It took place when you turned seventeen, or where about to do so, and that’s where Isak would be told that he had been matched with Jonas.

The third banquet was the Final Banquet. It takes place when you turn eighty. It’s the day when you die. Your family gathers with you and you get to see a slideshow of your life and then everyone is given a meal for the night. Another rule of the Society is that you cannot share food during the Final Banquet, because the food of the person who is going to die is poisoned and will kill them during the night.

When Isak got off the train it started pouring. He was walking down a street when the bells rang. They did so five minutes before curfew. He’d never get home in time. There wasn’t anybody in the streets, but Isak wouldn’t run. He wouldn’t disobey one of the rules.

His eyes went wide when he saw a hooded figure run towards him. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen anyone running anywhere in his city. The only people he had seen running had been in the TV-shows from the government, where it was shown how dangerous and unhealthy it was to run.

The boy stopped next to Isak. He had blue eyes and his long, blond hair was soaked under his hoodie. “What are you doing?” He said in a deep voice. “ _Run!_ ” And with that, he left.

Isak stood there, startled. Then he realized that there were less than three minutes for the curfew. So he did what he had been told. He _ran._ He disobeyed the Society, he _broke the rules_ , but he didn’t want to be out there when the curfew started.

He finally got home, soaked, to find his parents waiting for him. Isak’s outfit had been assigned for him, and had been placed on the sofa. Formal, but not extremely. Once he had changed, he drove with his parents to his grandmother’s house. Isak felt like the Officials were about to arrest him, but somehow it didn’t happen: they had an excuse, they were going to a Final Banquet.

Everything was ready once they got to his grandmother’s. The table had been prepared (everything, from the table cloth to the knives had been chosen for them, as well as the food) and most of the guests were already there. Isak doesn’t remember that much of that day now, but he does remember how his grandma went to sleep and never woke up again. He didn’t feel sad, because he knew that it was the right thing to do, and he knew that one day he would go through the same. It was part of life, and the Society made sure that you wouldn’t suffer during your death by giving you a Final Banquet. They had to be happy.

/

Isak was now hanging out with Eva and Jonas during their lunch break. He was sharing his food with Jonas as they laid on the grass, as they usually did, while Eva rolled her eyes at them.

“It’s so obvious that you’re going to get matched,” she said.

“Don’t say that,” Isak answered, “It could bring bad luck. And what about you?”

The girl shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know. Maybe a boy or a girl from another city. I don’t know anyone here who would fit so well with me as you two do with each other.”

Jonas snorted, “Don’t worry too much about it, you know that the Society will take care of everything.”

“It will,” Isak said.

“It will.” Eva sighed. “Are you ready for the Match Banquet? It’s only a week away.”

“That’s a long time,” Isak said. “But I’m excited. It’s such a big part of being a citizen of the Society. To me it feels like we’ll be full members of the Society. And once I get matched with Jonas, Chris will stop flirting with me. He’s obsessed with the idea that we are going to get matched.”

Chris was a year older than them, still in school, and whenever Isak went to the library to study, Chris decided that it was the perfect time to sit next to him and annoy him (in Chris’ mind it was flirting) while Isak tried to study.

Isak didn’t want anything to do with Chris. He had not been matched yet, as a punishment. He had broken two of the rules of the Society: one, staying out after curfew. Two, being caught making out with a girl that day. So his Matching had been postponed, and he took the chance to try and see if he was meant for Isak.

But he wasn’t. Isak was for Jonas, and Jonas was for Isak. They all knew that.

Isak looked around and saw him: the boy who told him to run to get home before the curfew. So they attended the same school and he didn’t notice? The boy was looking down when he entered their school main building.

Jonas noticed that he was absorbed and he waved his hand in front of his friend’s face. “Everything okay?”

Isak blinked. “Yes, of course.” He gave him a fake smile. Isak looked at his watch, his _artifact_. _Artifacts_ were the only thing you possessed that was completely different to everyone’s else, and normally were passed through generations. Isak’s was a watch, while Eva’s was a pair of earrings. Jonas owned two cuff links. “We should probably go back to class, it’s getting late.”

/

Isak said goodbye to his friends after finishing school. This time he decided to go back home walking, since he had finished earlier. Their teacher for their last lesson didn’t come that day, it had been decided that he would move with his wife to another town, and that was it.

Isak was looking down at the floor (the grey buildings that filled the cities weren’t that interesting) when he bumped into someone. He looked up and found _the_ guy. The guy who ran.

“It’s you!” Isak said.

However, the boy frowned, “Have we met?”

Isak was startled. “Yes? Like, yesterday?”

The boy smiled at him. It was the same fake smile Isak had flashed to Jonas. “Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry. I took a green pill this morning, I feel like I’m in the clouds.” The boy pointed towards the direction Isak was going. “Are you going this way?” Isak nodded, and the boy started walking next to him with his hands in his pockets.

Isak looked around and made sure that nobody was near. The street was empty. “You shouldn’t have done that yesterday!”

“What?”

“Running?”

“We ran?” Even whispered.

“Do you feel well?” It was impossible for him not to remember anything. “You came running and told me to do so. That’s an infraction!”

Even grabbed him from his sleeve and pulled him closer. They didn’t stop walking. “Don’t be loud.” He brought Isak to an alley and pushed him against the wall. “I guess we did run. If I have to be honest with you, I don’t remember anything. But be careful when you speak. Didn’t you see the Eye a few metres ahead of us?” Fuck. Isak hadn’t noticed. They could have heard them, or even filmed them. He shook his head. “Hopefully no Officials were watching, they normally don’t use the Eyes in empty streets, people aren’t that stupid to talk about infractions in empty places.”

“How do you know all of that?”

“I just do.” The boy gave him a cold stare, “Let’s go.” The boy started walking again, not waiting for Isak, who had to catch his pace without actually running.

“Where are we going?” Isak asked.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m going home.”

“Where do you live?”

“In the Provinces.”

Isak’s eyes went wide, and Even laughed. “I’m joking; I don’t live in the Provinces. I actually live three streets away form you.” The Provinces were outside the Society. It was wild, there was no order, people lived like animals. People who refused to follow the Society’s rules and its decisions for them. People who thought they knew better than the Society. But they didn’t. Isak had seen documentaries about these people. They lived in caves, and some even ate other humans. They even loved people they hadn’t been matched with. Most of them were Aberrations and Anomalies, as the Society named them. Some Aberrations worked in small villages of the Provinces. They lost some of their rights, but they weren’t as dangerous as Anomalies, who had committed serious crimes. Isak didn’t want to imagine what life must be like in the Provinces: full of despair and suffering.

“You live near me? I’ve never seen you.”

“And never had I seen you. Until yesterday, or so it seems.”

“What’s your name?”

Even smirked, “It’s better if I don’t tell you.”

“Why?”

“There’s a non-written rule in the Society, not many people know about it.”

“What rule?” Isak asked once they arrived to his street.

“Don’t ask too much.” The boy winked at him. “Goodbye, blondie.”

Isak turned around while he walked home. The boy was still there. Once Isak reached his doorstep, the other boy left.

_What a weirdo…_ he thought.

/

It was the day. The Match Banquet would take place today. Isak was nervous: he would finally start dating Jonas. Of course, one could choose not to be Matched and remain a Single, but who wouldn’t want to find love? Isak had chosen to be Matched a long time ago, and he knew it’d be Jonas.

Isak went to the ceremony with his parents. The Match Banquet took place in the capital, which happened to be his city. There were people his age from all over the Society for the Match Banquet and Isak saw his two friends who waved at him. Their parents greeted Isak’s and talked to each other in a circle. Isak’s and Jonas’ parents talked to each other for quite a while, since the four knew that their sons would be matched, and they knew that they were the perfect fit: after all, that’s why the Society matched them.

During the ceremony, the names and picture of their partner would appear along their picture and name on a big screen that had been placed on a stage behind the infinite number of tables where people sat, so that they could find their partner in the crowd. As far as Isak knew, the Matches would take hours.

However, it didn’t take long for Isak’s partner to be announced. His heart started beating faster when his picture appeared on the screen. What if it wasn’t Jonas? What if it was another guy that he had never met? But that boy would be even more perfect for him than Jonas, right? That’s how it worked, the Society never made mistakes.

And then, it appeared: Jonas was on the screen. Jonas, who was sitting next to him, smiled and hugged his friend. Well, no, they weren’t friends anymore, they were _lovers_. The word sounded weird in Isak’s brain, but he was so eager to start his relationship with Jonas. The two boys were given a small card with the information of their partner. They’d have to insert it on their TV screen in order to watch it. Considering that most couples had never met before, it was a good idea. However, Isak already knew everything about Jonas. He’d keep the card, though.

Three hours later, Eva’s partner was announced. A girl named Vilde. Eva found her among the crowd and went to greet her. The girl later told them that she came from another town but she’d start her studies (she was to become a surgeon) in the capital, so she’d live with Eva.

The three friends were happy with their Match, especially Eva, who was afraid of getting someone she wouldn’t like (which never happened, because the Society was always right). Isak knew that the girl had been stressed about it, he had noticed how there were less green pills in her case than normal. She must have taken one every two days or so.

Isak was dying to kiss Jonas’ lips, he had been waiting for that moment for years now, since he became a teenager or so. But it wouldn’t be appropriate to do so in the ceremony. It was actually quite uncommon to see public display of affection in the Society. He’d spend the night with Jonas, like the tradition said. He couldn’t believe his luck: he had the perfect life with the perfect studies, friends, family and now boyfriend. He had to thank the Society.

He owed everything to the Society.

/

Isak hid his head in Jonas’ neck. They had spent hours kissing now, the two boys in their underwear while exploring each other. Nothing sexual; there was time for that. Now it was all about doing what they had desired for years now.

“I wanted to be here, with you, like this, for so long,” Jonas whispered while he traced his fingers down Isak’s spine.

“Me too,” Isak whispered against Jonas’ shoulder. “And we have our whole lives for us.”

Jonas hummed and placed his chin on top of Isak’s head. “Good night, Issy.”

“Good night, Jonas.”

But Isak didn’t fall asleep. He normally didn’t have any problems, but that night, probably due to the excitement, the hours went by and sleep never came.

He finally decided to stand up and distract himself, leaving a sleeping Jonas behind him. He then remembered the card they’d been given. Since he didn’t have anything to do, he decided to see what was included in the card: it’d be interesting to see what the Society thought was important for you to know about your partner. Once he had inserted it on the TV screen, he sat on the sofa.

Jonas’ pictured appeared on the screen. He smiled. It was followed by information that he already knew: date of birth, favourite colour, hobbies, and so on. There was even a video of him talking to the camera. They had to do one in case they didn’t know their Match.

But, suddenly, the screen pixelated and went white. Isak frowned. That had never happened. After a few seconds, the image came back.

It wasn’t Jonas the one who was on the screen. It was another guy, with his information and his video. It was impossible, Jonas and Isak were meant to be. And it certainly couldn’t be _him_.

The screen went white again and Jonas came back. But Isak had seen it. Isak had seen the blond boy who told him to run on his screen. The boy was supposed to be Isak’s partner.

Isak felt how his life was falling apart. Wasn’t Jonas his partner, then? Was this a joke? Why would the Society change his Match? It couldn’t be happening. Not to him. Does this mean that he won’t really love Jonas and, instead, should be with the guy who ran?

But he wasn’t the guy who ran anymore.

Even. His name was Even.

And they were meant for each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Isak decided to talk to Even, he didn't know that life as he knew it was about to fall apart…

Isak had to speak with _him_. With Even. Jonas had woken up the next day with breakfast in bed, which Isak highly appreciated, but his mind was somewhere else. Not even the chaste kiss on the cheek that Jonas gave him brought him back to his world. Jonas didn’t seem to notice.

It was Sunday, but Isak couldn’t wait to talk to him in school. He had too many questions in his head and perhaps Even knew the answer; or perhaps Even was going through the same and also had too many questions in his head.

That’s why he left Jonas’ home. After promising that they would meet soon, Isak went to what he thought was Even’s street. There weren’t many houses there, and after looking at the bells of a few of them, he finally found two initials, E and S. It had to be that one.

Isak rang and, indeed, Even opened the door. Well, the first thing he saw were Even’s blue eyes. The boy then opened the door and pushed him in before looking at both sides of the street and locking the door behind him.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He said as he turned around.

Isak didn’t reply, but, instead look around. “You’re growing food?” He pointed at the potatoes with a light for fake sunlight on top of them. “Even, that goes against the rules!”

Even crossed his arms. “You don’t get to come to my house and tell me what I can and cannot– Wait, how do you know my name?”

Isak looked down. “I… Look, that’s what I wanted to talk about.”

Even remained silent for a few seconds. When he saw Isak’s face, fear in his eyes, he knew that what the boy was about to tell could put them at risk. “Not here, and not now. We don’t know if it’s safe. Meet me where they can’t hear us.”

“And where is that?”

“In the Valleys. This afternoon.”

/

That’s how Isak found himself in the Valleys, alone, waiting for someone he didn’t really know. How had his life changed so much in just one night?

He heard the sound of branches and fallen leaves being cracked. He turned around, hoping that he wouldn’t be noticed. When he saw Even, he immediately felt himself relax.

“Hi, blondie.” Even said, sitting on the floor next to Isak. “I feel like I deserve to know your name, considering that you already know mine.”

“Isak,” the boy said quietly.

“Isak. Nice.” He gave a slow nod. “Anyways, what did you want to talk about?”

“So, yesterday was the Match Banquet. I mean, you were there I guess so you probably know that.”

“Okay. And?”

“I was matched with my best friend Jonas.”

Even frowned, “Isn’t that the best that could happen? Having your best friend as your partner?”

“Uh… Yes, but I thought about putting his information card in my TV screen and, well, your… your profile appeared.”

A minute of silence or so followed. Even was just staring at him.

“So it’s you, then?”

Isak didn’t understand what was going on.

“I can’t get matched, Isak.”

“Why not? Everyone can if they want to.”

“I’m an Aberration, Isak.”

Isak’s eyes went wide. He shouldn’t be here with Even, alone. He had committed infractions already; he could perfectly harm Isak. This was one of the worst decisions he’d taken in his life (now that he thought about it, he had never taken a decision).

“I’ve committed infractions before, and cannot be matched. But probably we were each other’s Match before I did what I did, and that’s why I appeared on the screen.”

“So… you and I are meant, or _were_ meant, for each other?” Isak had even more questions in his head now.

Even shrugged, “I guess.”

“So Jonas isn’t perfect for me, then?”

“He probably was like the second option.”

“Then I shouldn’t be with him…,” He was looking at the forest, thoughtful, before turning his head back to Even. “But I can’t be with you either, considering that you’re an… _Aberration_.” He whispered the last word.

Even laughed. He was cute. “You don’t have to whisper it.”

They sat there, in silence, for a few more minutes, until Isak asked the question. “What… what did you do?”

“I don’t know if I should tell you. We’ve just met.” Even stood up and clean his jeans form grass. “Perhaps in the future. See you around, blondie.”

Isak gave him an incredulous look, “I thought I was Isak from now on?”

“The nickname is too cute for me not to use it.” Even winked at him, hands in his pockets while he walked backwards. “Bye, _Isak_.”

“Bye, _Even_.”

Isak would never admit it, not even to himself, but he felt something in his belly in that moment.

/

Isak always had the same for breakfast: what Society thought it was the best for him. A coffee and some fruit.

That morning, though, he had his case with his pills next to him. He bit his lip, not knowing what to do. He could take the green one and relax a bit: the last few days and the new revelations had been quite stressful. The blue one wasn’t useful, it helped to survive without water for seven days. And the red one…

The red one should only be taken when Society requires you to do so, or when you want to forget the las 12 hours.

He wished he could forget everything that had happened since the Banquet.

At least, he could forget about his conversation with Even. He would forget that his Match was an _Aberration_.

He decided not to do it and took a green pill instead.

When he got to school, Jonas was waiting for him outside. He kissed Isak in the lips, and everyone that saw them cheered. Many of them were with their new couples, who had been life-long friends, others were alone, which meant that their Match lived somewhere else.

But kissing Jonas felt strange, almost as if it weren’t appropriate.

Like he should be kissing someone else.

And then, he saw Even. He was with a group of guys, his eyes observing Isak.

And when Even saw Isak looking, he smiled.

/

When Isak got the notification, he blushed. He was told the day to have sex with Jonas. The day he would lose his virginity. It was the perfect day for that, according to Society.

It would take place in two days.

And Isak should’ve been excited, yet his mind kept coming back to that face he had seen on the TV screen: Even.

He couldn’t deny it, Even was attractive. But what had he done to become an Aberration? And why had he been Matched with Isak, when they had clearly nothing in common?

His parents weren’t home, and he decided instead to go to the supermarket to try and clear his mind. He had been sent the shopping list: it was the Society the one to decide what they would eat, so that every citizen had a balanced and healthy diet.

He had to buy some yogurt, the only brand sold and produced by the Society filling the upper shelf of one of the corridors. A small robot, used to do the groceries for older people, moved past behind him when he did a little jump to try and catch one of the yogurts, yet without success.

He then saw long, delicate fingers take one, and then handed it to him. “I thought you’d need some help,” _that_ deep voice said.

Isak looked in his beautiful eyes. “Even,” he gulped.

Even chuckled. “Isak.”

“I need to talk to you,” Isak found himself saying, even if he had promised himself to never talk to Even again.

Even stayed calm. He knew that they could hear them here. He smiled. “Of course. I’ll make some tea, and I have around 5 muffins at home that I bought last week. You’re invited so that we can chat about school.” He winked, at with that, he left.

Isak got the message. Five in the afternoon at Even’s.

/

“Why do you lock the door?” Isak asked while Even locked it, once Isak was inside.

“Follow me,” Even said, without answering. He led him down some stairs, and, in that moment, Isak feared for his life. Was Even about to kill him? Or worse, kidnap him?

In the basement, they entered what looked like a bunker. “What’s this?” Isak asked, looking around the white and sterile room.

“A bunker, from the War,” Even said. There was a bench against the wall.

“The War?” Isak frowned, and Even invited him to sit.

“Yeah, the one that led to the foundation of the Society.” Even sat next to him, and held his hand. Isak looked down at it, and then laughed.

“You’re so funny.”

Even rose his eyebrows, “I’m not lying.”

“Okay. But why did you lock the door? And why did we go to the Valleys if you have a bunker?”

“I don’t trust the Officials. And I didn’t trust you.”

Isak almost gasped. That was like saying that he didn’t trust the Society. About Even not trusting him… He didn’t care that much, but not trusting the Officials!? “But… But the Officials make sure that there’s order in our Society!”

Even snorted. “Isak, you don’t know shit, no offence. And you don’t know me.”

“Yeah, that’s why they gave me that card, right? So that I could get to know you.”

“I thought you were happy with your new, curly boyfriend.”

“I am.”

“Then, why are you here?”

Isak didn’t know what to say. “I was curious, perhaps.”

“About what?”

“Why… why are you an Aberration?”

“I’m not telling you that. I don’t even know if we’re meant for each other for sure.”

“Jonas doesn’t keep secrets from me.”

“That’s because he’s not an Aberration.”

“Yeah, he hasn’t killed someone or anything.”

Even laughed, his hand now on Isak’s thigh. “I haven’t killed anyone, trust me.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“You followed your instinct, Isak.”

Isak frowned, “What’s _instinct_?”

“It’s when you do something because it feels right, because your heart wants to, and not because the Society tells you so.”

Isak had never heard that word before. “Okay, and what does your instinct tell you?”

It happened fast, but soon Isak had the softest lips against his own, and Even’s hand was cupping his face.

It felt like kissing Jonas, but it was ten times better. Isak’s mind exploded, almost as if a short-circuit had occurred. He couldn’t think, he could only feel those lips doing wonders against his own. And he hated to admit it, but he liked it more than when he made out with Jonas.

It felt too perfect.

Like they were Matched for each other.

After his soft whimper, Even broke the kiss, his forehead against Isak’s.

“If… If I tell you why I’m an Aberration, will you hate me?” Even asked.

He looked vulnerable, and Isak didn’t want to hurt him. “Of course not,” he whispered. Isak was surprised, he had been taught to _hate_ Aberrations.

But he couldn’t hate Even, if he had just met him.

“You probably don’t know this, but you can inherit the category of Aberration from your parents. Basically, I wasn’t born within a Match.”

“What do you mean?”

“My mother fell in love with someone else.”

Isak chuckled. “You can’t do that. You’ll only fall in love with the Matched person.”

“It’s happening to you right now.”

Isak didn’t say anything at first. This couldn’t be happening _to him_.

Even noticed that he was overthinking, so he kept talking, his fingers caressing Isak’s cheek. “Anyways, she fell in love with another man, and then I was born. She was given a warning. Breeding outside your Match is a serious offence, it could destroy the algorithm, a member that doesn’t fit with society could be born, since he or she is not born within perfection.”

“And then?”

“She was deprived from having the best jobs in Society, and my father was sent to live somewhere else. Until a few years ago, when she received a message. It’s surprising that the Society didn’t intercept it.”

“What– what happened?”

“He had ran away. To the Provinces.”

Isak gasped. That was the worst place he could ever imagine. “And… your mother?”

“She tried to ignore it. She had me, she had to take care of me. But when I became fifteen, she disappeared. I assume she managed to flee the Society and went to the Provinces.”

Isak’s mind was spinning. You couldn’t _flee_ form the Society. The Society was _everything_.

He gulped. “So, you’re an Aberration because… because she loved someone else an fled?” That last word felt weird in his tongue.

Even nodded, and they stayed in silence for a bit longer. “It’s getting late, you better go before curfew.”

Once they had left the basement, Even accompanied him to the door. He looked to the peephole: the street was empty, but there was maybe an Eye watching.

“Put your hood on. It’s raining, it won’t seem strange if you try to cover your face,” Even instructed.

Isak obliged, and Even hugged him. “Isak, we can’t see each other outside school. They’ll know that you found out, that you _know_ that I’m your Match. We can’t risk it.”

“But I want to see you again,” Isak said softly.

  
Even smiled and kissed him softly. “At school. Now, go.”

/

“What are you thinking?” Jonas asked, moving one of Isak’s curls away. They were in Jonas’ bed, coming back from the orgasmic bliss, cuddled against each other.

It had been great, Isak now understood why people liked sex. And Jonas had been so caring… Yet he only wished that he had kissed other lips, that the hands that caressed him belonged to Even, that the one to make love to him had been Even…

“Nothing,” Isak lied. He had thought about confessing everything, but Jonas was a member of the Free Youth, the youth organisation that safeguarded the Society’s interests, and he knew that he would report Even.

“Was… was I good?” Jonas said with a blush. It was his first time, too, after all.

Isak nodded. “You were great.”

“The Society is right.”

Isak gulped. “The Society is always right,” he lied.

/

He saw Even again, at the school library. He was doing homework, one of his hands buried in his mane of hair while, with a frown, tried to solve a maths problem.

Isak was sitting a few tables away, but he knew better not to interact. It would look weird if he just stood up and talked to him. There were no Eyes in the school, but it was full of Informants: people of different ages who informed the Society of suspicious behaviour at school, work or even at home. So he had to be careful.

Isak minded his own business, and when he looked up again, Even was gone. But he had forgotten his textbook.

Had he?

Maybe he had left it there on purpose, and it was a strategy so that Isak had an excuse to talk to him.

Isak stood up and went for the book, which he put in his backpack. He would then look for Even in school.

Yet when he tried to do so, Even was nowhere to be found. Not in the recreational areas of their school, nor in the corridors. Perhaps he had gone home? But you couldn’t go home before the school day ended: education was highly valued in the Society.

His heart was beating fast, but after school he found himself knocking on Even’s door. It opened slowly, and Even smiled.

“Oh, hi!” He said amicably.

  
“Uh… Hi, you forgot this,” Isak said, handing him the textbook.

Even smiled. “Shit, I was looking for it like crazy. Thank you for bringing it, I have a test in a few days. Do you wanna come in? I can boil some tea as a compensation.”

Isak then realised that he was acting for the Eye in the street, and for the possible Informants that lived near-by.

If someone did something for you in the Society, it was polite to pay it back.

“Sure.”

Even closed the door behind them and locked it. And then, without saying anything, Isak hugged him. “Missed you,” he whispered against his chest, and Even kissed his head.

“Downstairs,” he whispered.

They were once again inside that white bunker, the door closed behind them. Once closed, it looked like a bookshelf and it was difficult to find.

“When the house was raided, after my mother disappeared, they didn’t find this place, and you can’t hear anything that is happening inside.”

“I hate having to hide,” Isak said.

God, what had he become? A few weeks ago his life was perfect, and he had been matched with Jonas. And now his feelings for Even were growing stronger; a stranger he had just met a few weeks ago had turned his life upside down. Was the reason that they were actually each other’s Match, like the card had shown?

Even walked closer to him and kissed him. “Me too. I missed you.”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Isak said between kisses. They were sitting on the floor, Isak on Even’s lap.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, it’s almost like… like I’m infatuated with you.” Even gave him a smug smile at that. “The other day… uh, well, I had sex with Jonas. And it didn’t feel perfect, nor did his kisses,” he finished the sentence in a whisper.

“That’s because you were not meant for each other.”

“So it’s us,” Isak said, touching Even’s lips.

“Yeah, it’s us. Only us,” Isak dove for a kiss, but Even moved his head to the side.

“Will you stay for the night?” Even asked, biting his earlobe.

Isak moved his head and brushed his nose against Even’s. “That’s dangerous.”

“I’m willing to take the risk for you,” Even said, and then kissed him until they ran out of breath.

/

It was heavily raining the next morning, but they only noticed after leaving the bunker. Even had brought his mattress. His bedroom wasn’t safe, he said. It had a window and someone could see what was going on inside.

Even woke up first, the heavy feeling of Isak’s head on his bare chest bringing him back to reality. The other boy slept peacefully, cuddling closer to Even when the Aberration tried to move, his arm across his chest, as if he were scared that Even would ran away.

Even put one of his curls behind his ear, and Isak let out the softest sound Even had ever heard. He smiled, a warm feeling forming in his belly.

They were both naked underneath the white blanket that covered their bodies, now currently over Isak’s hipbones. Even knew that, if Isak moved, the blanket would reveal his most intimates parts.

The sex that Even had blown yesterday while they made love.

Even had never felt so connected to someone else. It felt magical, like perfection.

It seemed that Society was right.

Until it decided that they shouldn’t be together because of his mother’s crime.

In that moment, Isak woke up and yawned while Even played with his hair. The younger boy smiled and tilted his head for a kiss, which Even gladly gave him.

“Good morning, baby,” Even whispered.

Isak blushed. Even calling him _baby_ felt right, more than when it had been Jonas.

“Morning,” Isak said with a smile. “Did you sleep well?”

Even nodded. “You?”

“I was exhausted from yesterday.”

Even smiled. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” It had been the most glorious moment in Isak’s life. Sex with Even was ten times better than with Jonas. It felt _right_ : the way their bodies fit, the sounds they both made while trying to bring the other one to orgasm. It was just perfect.

“Do you wanna have breakfast?”

Isak nodded. “I’ll have to leave after that, though, it’d look suspicious.”

“Yeah, that sucks. I’ll cook the breakfast and bring it here. You can sleep a bit more meanwhile.”

/

“Where the fuck were you?” Jonas asked once Isak opened the door of his house. “You didn’t reply to any of my texts.”

Isak hurried him in and, pulling from his T-shirt, brought Jonas to his bedroom. “Don’t shout! My parents think that we were spending the night together.”

“Okay, but where were you? I was so scared, Isak.” He kissed his forehead, but Isak immediately pulled him away. He didn’t want any of his kisses.

“I was doing a project at Sana’s, okay? And when we realised it was after curfew, so I decided to stay. I didn’t want to be out there and risking being arrested or something.”

Jonas looked at him in disbelief, but in the end he seemed to buy it. He hugged Isak. “Shit, next time reply to my texts, okay? I was so worried.”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“I missed you, I thought we would hang out or something.”

Isak chuckled, “Jonas, it’s only been twenty-four hours.” He untangled himself from Jonas’ arms.

“Yeah, that’s too much. Promise you won’t do that ever again?”

Isak sighed. “Promised.”

/

Two months later, things hadn’t changed much. Isak spent the afternoons with Even, both surprised that the Eye had not notified the Officials. They usually changed their strategy: Even was sick and didn’t go to school and Isak brought him food for the supermarket, or Isak would wear Even’s clothes when he went to visit him. He covered his head with a hood and put a scarf on. Covering your face was illegal, since the Eyes couldn’t recognize you, but the risk was worth it.

“I had an idea,” Even said while they laid naked.

“What?” Isak said, his eyes lost in the post-orgasmic bliss while his finger drew absentmindedly circles around Even’s nipple.

“Let’s run away.”

Isak chuckled. “There’s nowhere to run away to. The Society is everything.”

“To the Provinces.”

Isak held his breath in shock and looked at him, his eyes widening. “You’re being serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you not heard the stories? People there behave like animals.”

Even laughed. “Who told you those stories?”

“The Society.”

“They don’t live like that. There’re cities and villages and most people ran away either because they loved someone or because they don’t believe in the system.”

“And what’s the difference between here and there?”

“That you can choose what you want to do. You decide who you love. You decide your hobbies. You follow your instinct. We can even _run_. We won’t have to hide our love from anyone else.”

“Aren’t you happy here, with me?”

Even smiled and cupped his face before kissing him. “Of course I am happy with you. But I know that we could be even happier.”

/

“Jonas?” Isak said when he got to the boy’s house, but the brunette didn’t reply. His parents weren’t home, so Isak assumed that he was in his bedroom.

He slowly opened the door and found Jonas sitting on his bed, smoking in darkness. Smoking wasn’t forbidden in the Society, but you could only buy the brand produced by the Society, which was extremely expensive.

“Jonas?”

“Oh, you came.”

“Of course I did,” Isak said, closing the door behind him. The only light in the bedroom came through the window, but the sun was setting and soon it’d be pitch dark outside.

Jonas chuckled. “You think I’m stupid?”

“Wh- what?”

Jonas stood up, his jaw tightening. “I know you’ve been cheating on me. Who is it? Is it Chris? He’s _always_ checking you out at school.” Isak didn’t say anything. “Is it him, huh? Don’t you have enough with my cock that you have to suck his, too? What a fucking cockslut.”

Without saying anything, Isak slapped his face. He could feel a tear running down his cheek. “Don’t you _ever_ say that.”

Jonas didn’t reply until his cheek wasn’t stinging anymore. “Then can you tell me _why_ my fucking _boyfriend_ disappears almost every day with no explanation? What do you want me to expect?”

Isak sighed. “It… it’s not Chris.”

Jonas slowly nodded before laughing, angry. “I see… But there’s someone, right? You don’t accept the Society’s decision: that we’re made for each other.”

Isak kept crying. “If we were meant for each other, you wouldn’t have called me cockslut! I’m supposed to be with _him_ , not you. His kisses feel perfect and when we make love… Fuck, Jonas, it feels so much better. And I’m sorry, I just can’t help it.”

Jonas chuckled. “I see… You know that I have to report you, right?”

“Would you do that, to me?”

Jonas took a deep breath before crying, too. Then he laughed miserably. “No, I can’t. Not you. I love you. I’ll always love you.”

“You know that in a few years we have to get married, right?” Isak said.

“I might get into the army, that would postpone things. Now, I don’t want to see you anymore, because it hurts so fucking much. Go with your new boyfriend, I guess.”

Isak cleaned the tears with the back of his hands. “Goodbye, Jonas.”

“Goodbye, Isak.”

Once he left Jonas’ home, he _ran_. He didn’t even think about it. He didn’t care anymore: about Society, about the rules. About his future perfect job or his perfect life.

It was all falling apart.

Even opened the door after a few hard knocks and, surprised, let Isak inside. Isak hugged him, still crying, once the door was closed.

“Baby, what happened?”

“Let’s run away. Please. Let’s run away to the Provinces.”

/

“Scared?” Even asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good, otherwise you’d be a fool, baby.”

They were near the border that separated the Society from the Provinces. It was dark outside, there was a curfew, as usual, and thankfully they had not encountered any Officials while they walked for hours until they reached this place.

They were hiding on a tree, both of them with their faces covered with hoods and scarves. It had been two weeks. Two weeks of Even planning everything while Isak tried not to think about what they were about to do. He reached a moment where he thought that the Society could read his thoughts and knew about their plans.

“Okay, so the border is electrified,” Even explained. “But not this area, since not many people come here.” It was true. There was only a factory nearby and a few houses in ruins. “They stop the electricity to save up, like at home.”

“There’s always electricity at home.”

Even chuckled. “Ever wondered why you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and sometimes the light doesn’t work?”

“Oh.”

“Each day, a different neighbourhood. Anyways, it sucks that this three isn’t closer, because we could jump and fall to the other side, but there’s nothing close enough to the fence that could help us cross. It’s made on purpose, of course. You see that tower?”

It wasn’t that close, but Isak could see it in the darkness. There was a big light on top of it that kept moving, illuminating the area in all directions. Isak nodded.

“They could see us, and they can also shoot to anyone that gets close to the fence. So, we have to be quick.”

Isak gulped and kissed him slow and deep.

Even smiled after the kiss.

“How do we do it?” Isak asked.

“I’m going down with you, but you jump first. I don’t want you to stay here in case something happens. Now, remember the pills?”

“Yeah, I have a few of each.”

“Good. Now, forget about the green one, that’s, as you know, for when you’re nervous. But now we need the adrenaline. When we cross, we both take the blue one. It will help us survive up to 7 hours without water. We don’t know how long it will take us to find a settlement or a city, or a river.

“And the red one?”

  
“That one… that one is if we fail. We take it, and we forget the last 12 hours. Of course, we have to be fast if they’re trying to arrest us.”

“Or worse, shoot us.”

Even sighed. “Are you ready?”

Isak nodded and kissed him again. “Whatever happens, I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, let’s go.”

Once they got down the tree, they waited a few minutes. No movement. The Officials seemed to be somewhere else. Isak looked at the vigilance tower and when the light wasn’t illuminating their area anymore, he took a deep breath and _ran_.

He soon reached the fence and, without hesitation, began to climb. Even was standing underneath him, helping him by pushing him upwards. At the top, the barbed wire tore his sweatshirt, but it didn’t hurt him.

Meanwhile, Even had thrown the back pack to the other side and then began to climb. Isak let himself fall, without hesitation, and fell perfectly on his feet. It was too high, and his ankles and knees hurt at the impact. But it was worth it.

He then heard a shot, followed by a scream. He turned around and saw Even bleeding from his leg. His boyfriend then fell to the floor.

“Even!” Isak shouted. He then heard the alarms, the two lights of a car of Officials coming closer, and the light on top of the tower kept illuminating Even.

“Even!” Isak kept shouting.

Soon there were four officials getting off the car, running towards Even. Isak saw how his boyfriend took the red pill immediately, and soon eight hands were on top of him.

“Run, Isak! Run! I love you! I love you! Run!” Even kept shouting from the other side while Isak kept crying and hyperventilating.

Isak then saw one of the Officials about to point his weapon towards him, so he quickly picked the backpack and disappeared in the darkness of the forest while crying.

Through the trees and the night he could hear Even’s screams.

That night was the last time Isak ever saw Even.


	3. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years after Isak managed to escape and Even failed, Isak is living in the Provinces hoping that, one day, Even knocks on his door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i know, it was mean to end the second chapter like that, so, since people requested it (and i already had something in mind) i wrote this epilogue!! i just couldn't leave my boys like that.
> 
> i hope you like it xx

Isak filled the two buckets with water from the well, the sun kissing his bare shoulders. He cleaned the sweat on his forehead with the back of his arm before taking the two buckets and walking back home.

Life in the Provinces was completely different to the life in the Society. It had been five years since he escaped, since he last saw Even, yet life here still surprised him.

That night, five years ago, when he ran in the night, plants tearing his skin, he reached a small village at sunrise. An old man who was in the main square selling wood saw him and took him to his house, where he fed him and let him rest for a few days.

Isak stayed in that village.

At first, he wasn’t used to choosing everything about his life. Not only that, the villagers assembled in the square to vote and decide everything.

And they loved whoever they wanted.

Isak knew that there was a bigger city a few days away, unofficially considered the capital of the Provinces. Yet it wasn’t the safest place. They all had seen the big planes from the Society flying over their village to bomb the capital.

Life in this small village was better.

Isak reached what had been his home for the last three years. When he opened the wooden door with a kick, he found Sam inside, in his worn underwear, washing his face.

“Hey,” Isak said, leaving the buckets by the door.

“Hi,” Sam replied, looking at him through the cracked mirror they had found in the forest. It probably had belonged to someone who also had ran away.

Isak walked towards him and hugged him from behind, proceeding then to kiss him on his cheek.

The other boy flinched, “Ew! Baby, you’re sweaty _and_ your beard scratches.”

“You love my beard, though,” Isak replied with a smug smile.

“You know I do.”

“How is she doing?” Isak asked.

Sam shrugged. “Still asleep. I left a cup of water next to the bed, in case she wakes up or something.”

It wasn’t the first time Isak and Sam hosted a refugee in their house. During the three years of their relationship, they’ve had over six people sleeping for a few days in their home. People who had fled Society.

Sam knew about Even, and he knew that Isak thought about him every day. And that, if Even appeared one day, knocking on the door, Isak would leave him. And he also knew that, whenever someone knocked the door at night, Isak always opened it, hoping that it would be Even, yet it had always been someone else who had just jumped the border. He was fine with it. Isak deserved Even.

Life in the Provinces was tough. They had to bathe in the river next to the village, hunt, grow vegetables, build their own homes and go for water: yet it was worth it.

Isak only wished that Even got to experience it with him.

Isak had grown up and matured. He wasn’t the naïve teenager he was before, when he escaped. He was more serious now, always paying attention to his surroundings, as if he were scared, and, most importantly, trying to survive.

Sam was the only person that kept him sane, and he loved the intimacy with him.

The girl sleeping in their bedroom left three days afterwards. She was looking for someone, a lover who had escaped Society, and she decided that she’d go to the capital. Isak and Sam prepared some food and water for her and, with that, she left.

Isak loved cuddling Sam when they slept. Sam had also fled Society, but not because of love. His mother used to beat him, and he had never been used to attention and care for someone who loved him. So whenever they went to sleep, whenever they made love, Isak made sure to show him how much he loved him.

Even though Isak would always love someone else, too.

When it rained, like this night, they used one of the buckets for the leaks in their bedroom. A repetitive knock on their door, right after a thunder, woke Isak up.

He put a T-shirt on, which slightly covered his underwear, and with a yawn he walked down the stairs. Another refugee, right after the other girl had arrived?

“Who is it?” Isak asked, his ear against the wooden door.

“I’m looking for someone!” The voice shouted on the other side.

  
And Isak froze.

It couldn’t be.

_It couldn’t be him._

_Even_.

Isak slowly opened the door, which creaked, and felt his knees tremble when he saw Even on the other side.

Even wasn’t expecting him either.

He was all wet, his beautiful hair against his face, and his eyes shone brighter than ever. Yet he looked tired, his cheekbones were more prominent and he had bags under his eyes.

Nevertheless, he was gorgeous, he was the Even he remembered.

The Even he loved.

His mouth opened and closed a few times. “I… Isak.”

“Even…” Isak whispered back. With no hesitation, he hugged him. “You’re here.”

Isak then looked up at him. Even then kissed him. It was a needy kiss, a kiss he had been waiting five years to give. Isak hummed in the kiss. He had missed those lips, he had missed Even. And he couldn’t believe that he was here.

Was he dreaming?

  
It wasn’t the first time he dreamed about this scene.

“What happened to you? Did they hurt you? When did you get here?”

Even smiled, “It’s a long story. May I come in?”

Isak nodded, “Uh… my boyfriend… he’s sleeping upstairs.”

Even smiled. “I see. I’m happy that you decided to build your life, I didn’t want you to spend your whole life waiting for me. And you got a beard, too!”

“I was waiting for you, though. Good thing is, now I get to choose, not like in the Society.”

“You mean…?”

“I’ve told Sam about you. He knows that if, one day, you appeared, I would choose you. And he’s okay wit that.” Isak closed the door behind him, now that the water was more intense outside.

Even left a backpack on the floor, and then Isak hurried to hug him again. “I missed you,” Isak said.

“Me too.”

“Sit, I’ll bring something to eat.”

There was a small table in the corner of the small living room, where their small kitchen, if you could call it that way (they had to use fire to cook), was also located. Isak came back with cheese and bread.

“This feels surreal,” Even said with a smile. “Yet at the same time it feels like it’s only been a month since I last saw you.”

“What– what happened?”

“They arrested me. And then I was in a detention centre, as they like to call it, for a year. And then, once I was freed, I was moved to another city, a smaller one. Anyways, last year I managed to escape, to jump the border. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I was so scared that something had happened to you. I didn’t even know if you were alive, or where you were. The Provinces is a huge place, you know that. I jumped the border on the North of the Society, and we lived in the South. So I hoped that you hadn’t moved a lot, and this last year I spent going from town to town, trying to trace your path, asking If someone had seen you. And, well, when I knocked on this door, I knew I was close, but I was just looking for a place to stay, and try to search for you tomorrow morning. Yet, I found you.”

Isak smiled. “You found me.” He couldn’t believe that Even had tried again, that he had been travelling for so long just to find me. “I thought I wouldn’t see you ever again.”

A tear rolled down Even’s cheek. The older boy placed his hand over Isak’s fist, which rested on the wooden table.

“Me neither. I still can’t believe it. But we’re together now.”

Isak leaned over the table, smiling. “Yes. We’re together now. And we can start our life again. Together.”

And then, he chose to kiss him.


End file.
